F1 2012: Mark Webber is bullish

Alonso started in pole at Silverstone, but Webber came up trumps

Alonso started in pole position at Silverstone, but Webber came up trumps

The British GP is always one of the most significant races each season. This has partly to do with history; the first F1 race was flagged off in Silverstone in 1950. It’s no wonder, then, that crowds flogged to the circuit, despite extreme weather conditions this past weekend. And although Fernando Alonso started in pole position, it was Mark Webber who finished on top when the (figuratively speaking) dust had settled.

A bone-dry race

Given how the weather has been in the UK this summer, it was expected to be a wet weekend. Friday practice was washed away and the deluge during qualifying dampened hopes for a rain-free race. Fans who drove to Silverstone were in for a pleasant surprise since there wasn’t a hint of rain around.

Even the teams were caught off-guard, since their set-ups for the race were wet or intermediate at best. The prevailing opinion was that there would be different strategies across the grid because in such conditions, teams are free to choose which tyres – option or prime – they want to start on. Pole-sitter Fernando Alonso chose the prime tyres, while all his major competitors went ahead with the options for the opening stint.

Ferrari v Red Bull

Ferrari set an exceptional pace this weekend and this was proven not only by Alonso’s lap times, but also by that of team-mate Felipe Massa, who for once kept up with his team-mate. However, to assume that the Scuderia could challenge for the constructors’ title, after just one good showing from the Brazilian, would be foolhardy.

There is another reason for this: Red Bull’s pace since Valencia. In the European GP, Sebastian Vettel had set himself half-a-minute apart from the rest of the field before engine problems ruined his race. It is believed that Adrian Newey has found a new way to provide extra-downforce by deploying a new floor update. A similar situation developed at Silverstone, and as the circuit began to rubber in, the Red Bulls started chasing the leading Ferrari. Alonso was never going to make it to the finish line first, and he has a bad tyre strategy to thank for that. And he didn’t, with Webber becoming the second driver to win two races this season.

Slow McLarens

Vettel’s podium finish means that Red Bull are now the top-most team in terms of development and race-pace. Ferrari’s upgrades ahead of the European season have served them well. Lotus are quick everywhere, and the manner in which Kimi Raikkonen/Romain Grosjean traded fastest laps means they are on course to at least win a race apiece this season. Where does this leave McLaren?

Fourth-fastest, and the depressing bit for Lewis Hamilton/Jenson Button is that they were not quite up to scratch at Silverstone. Hamilton finished eighth, behind Michael Schumacher, and Button could only manage tenth – a gift by Nico Hulkenberg after he went off-track after a last-minute scuffle with Bruno Senna. Earlier, Pastor Maldonado compromised Sergio Perez’s race with yet another outrageous overtaking manoeuvre. All this meant that McLaren were slower than Mercedes, Williams and Sauber, and were resigned to competing with their technology partner Force India for pace.

The good news for them is that they had a major upgrade scheduled for the British GP but could not deploy it due to the conditions, and will now have to wait until Germany.

Chetan Narula is the author of History of Formula One: The Circus Comes to India.